TRUE LIFE
Something sinister was growing with my unborn baby
Meya Fowler, 36
Perched on the edge of the bathtub, I didn’t know if I felt more excited or scared.
In three minutes’ time, I’d find out if I was expecting a baby…
It was May 2022 and I’d been here once already.
Back in December, I was newly married to Callan, then 32, and thrilled to be pregnant.
But at my 12-week scan, we were crushed to be told that I’d miscarried.
Both heartbroken about the baby we’d loved and lost, we’d nervously agreed to try again.
And now, my period was late.
When the time was up, I turned over the plastic wand to discover our fate. Two lines. Pregnant! As I screamed with joy, in burst Callan to give me a hug.
The nerves were still there but we had to be positive.
This time will be different, I thought, feeling hopeful.
At eight weeks, we went to hospital for a scan.
When the whoosh sound filled the room, tears streamed down my cheeks.
In the face of the scary news, all I could do was hope
Our baby’s heartbeat!
Seven weeks later we learnt that we were having a girl.
Every night before bed I’d whisper to my bump. ‘Mama loves you so much,’ I’d beam.
By my 20-week scan, I was so excited to see our baby girl on screen.
But as the doctor got to work, he seemed to be preoccupied.
He pointed out our baby’s heart and her tiny feet and answered our questions.
But when I got down from the table and sat by Callan, the doctor delivered a bombshell.
‘Your baby has a sacrococcygeal teratoma,’ he told us.
Despite being a theatre nurse, I’d never heard of it.
But the doctor explained it was a germ-cell tumour – a growth that might contain tissue like muscle, bone and hair.
It was growing on our baby’s tail bone. And as she got bigger and stronger, so would her tumour.
‘There’s a 20% chance of survival,’ the doctor said. Falling into Callan’s arms, tears streamed down my face.
‘We can offer you a medical termination,’ the doctor said gently.
Looking at Callan, I saw our answer in his eyes.
‘We’re going to fight for our baby,’ I said.
After that, I had regular scans to monitor the tumour. Thankfully, it seemed to be slow growing, measuring 4cm by the time I was 20 weeks pregnant.
And it hadn’t affected our baby’s size.
On the scan screen, I could see it.
It looked like a bump at the base of her spine. The doctors were cautious. ‘If the tumour continues to grow it can overload the baby’s heart and be fatal. In some cases, it can be cancerous,’ one consultant warned us.
In the face of the scary
